Long Term Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect: Cost to Society and Individuals

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recently released an article describing studies about the long term consequences of child maltreatment to the individual and to society.

Children who have experienced abuse or neglect are likely to experience many challenges as adults. These challenges include:

higher rates of unemployment and poverty in adulthood.

physical and mental health challenges in adulthood.

significantly higher use of social services than people without a history of childhood maltreatment.

Overall, adults who had experienced any type of maltreatment in childhood were twice as likely as non-victims to be unemployed. In terms of income, adults who had been physically abused as children were 60 percent more likely than non-victims to be living in poverty. The incidence rose to 180 percent for those who had experienced more than one type of childhood maltreatment.

Maltreatment was also linked to lower rates of health care coverage and greater use of social services such as Medicaid, especially among adults who had experienced childhood sexual abuse.

In the first comprehensive study of the long-term socioeconomic effects of abuse and neglect, Zielinski shows that childhood maltreatment carries significant costs to the individual and to society. Not only does the public share the burden in supporting maltreatment-related social services—such as child welfare services—but also those related to unemployment insurance, poverty-based public assistance, and publicly funded health insurance, such as Medicaid. Other societal impacts include the loss in employment productivity and tax revenues, from federal and state income taxes as well as state and local sales taxes.

Additional research has found that parents who were maltreated as children are more likely to abuse and neglect their own children than those without a history of maltreatment. Targeted assistance for maltreatment victims may help break this cycle.

To read the full article here.

Healthy Turkey Shaped Cookies Recipe

Graham Cracker Turkey Cookies

Looking for a healthy alternative at snack time? These tasty turkeys, made with the naturally sweet goodness of graham and whole wheat flours, cinnamon, vanilla, apple and banana, will be gobbled up at the Thanksgiving table. Your kids will love cutting out the cookies and decorating them.

Ingredients
1/4 cup unsweetened frozen apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 sliced banana
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup graham flour *
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Turkey-shaped cookie cutter
* Graham flour is a kind of flour, just like the more common wheat flour. If you can't find it in your supermarket, try calling health food stores.

Cooking Instructions
Combine apple juice, oil, banana, vanilla, and cinnamon in a blender.
In a large bowl, mix together graham flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add apple juice mixture to flour mixture and stir thoroughly.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out with turkey shaped cookie cutter.
Use a fork to poke holes for eyes and feathers.
Bake at 350 degrees F for eight minutes.

This recipe was taken from Kaboose. Check out their website for fun cooking, crafts, and activity ideas for parents and caregivers!

Encourage Creativity while Fundraising for Your Child Care Program

The staff of Workshop on Wheels are always eager to promote children's creativity and expression in their artwork. As you're allowing children to learn and grow in the art center, it's also important to show them that you value what they create. The Arsonia website is a wonderful way to showcase your childrens' artwork, and it even has ways you can raise money for your program.

Artsonia is the world's largest kids art museum online. It's the newest way to celebrate creativity in the classroom and get families involved in art education!

Kids develop a new sense of pride and feel like famous artists published in a museum!

Family and friends view the artwork, join fan clubs and leave personal comments for the artists.

Schools earn 15% when parents purchase custom keepsakes with their child's artwork – a great fundraiser for your arts program!

Thousands of Art Project Lesson Plan Starters have been submitted by teachers just like you, and are available as a resource for your classroom!

Visit the website to find out more. And if you have questions about developmentally appropriate art experiences in child care programs, contact Workshop on Wheels!

Trick or Treat! Halloween Safety Tips

There are many ways to keep your child safe at Halloween, when they are more prone to accidents and injuries. The excitement of children and adults at this time of year sometimes makes them forget to be careful. Simple common sense can do a lot to stop any tragedies from happening.

Help your child pick out or make a costume that will be safe. Make it fire proof, the eye holes should be large enough for good peripheral vision.

If you set jack-o-lanterns on your porch with candles in them, make sure that they are far enough out of the way so that kids costumes won't accidentally be set on fire.

Make sure that if your child is carrying a prop, such as a scythe, butcher knife or a pitchfork, that the tips are smooth and flexible enough to not cause injury if fallen on.

Kids always want to help with the pumpkin carving. Small children shouldn't be allowed to use a sharp knife to cut the top or the face. There are many kits available that come with tiny saws that work better then knives and are safer, although you can be cut by them as well. It's best to let the kids clean out the pumpkin and draw a face on it, which you can carve for them.

Treating your kids to a spooky Halloween dinner will make them less likely to eat the candy they collect before you have a chance to check it for them.

Teaching your kids basic everyday safety such as not getting into cars or talking to strangers, watching both ways before crossing streets and crossing when the lights tell you to, will help make them safer when they are out Trick or Treating.

Make Halloween a fun, safe and happy time for your kids and they'll carry on the tradition that you taught them to their own families some day!

Read the full article at: http://www.halloween-safety.com/halloween_safety_kids.html

Free Handwashing Poster

Handwashing can play a significant impact in reducing the spread of infection in childcare, and health experts are encouraging diligent handwashing to help prevent H1N1 (previously known as swine flu) influenza. Healthy Childcare has made available a free downloadable poster you can use to help children learn the importance of handwashing.

Visit the Healthy Childcare website to learn more about promoting healthy habits in young children.

The Latest Information on H1N1 for Child Care Providers

Children less than 5 years of age are at increased risk of complications from influenza (flu); the risk is greater among children less than 2 years old. Importantly, infants less than 6 months of age represent a particularly vulnerable group because they are too young to receive the seasonal or 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine; as a result, individuals responsible for caring for these children constitute a high-priority group for early vaccination. Influenza vaccination is the primary means of preventing flu. Additionally, infection control measures are recommended to reduce the spread of flu.

However, early childhood settings present unique challenges for infection control due to the highly vulnerable population, close interpersonal contact, shared toys and other objects, and limited ability of young children to understand or practice good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene. Thus, parents, early childhood providers, and public health officials should be aware that, even under the best of circumstances, transmission of infectious diseases such as flu cannot be completely prevented in early childhood or other settings. No policy can keep everyone who is potentially infectious out of these settings.

Recommendations for early childhood programs for the 2009–2010 influenza season

Early childhood providers should examine and revise, as necessary, their current crisis or pandemic plans and procedures; develop contingency plans to cover key positions when staff are absent from work; update contact information for families and staff; and share their plans with families, staff, and the community. Early childhood providers should review and revise, if necessary, their sick leave policies to remove barriers to staff staying home while ill or to care for an ill family member. A doctor’s note should not be required for children or staff to validate their illness or to return to the early childhood setting.

Early childhood providers should frequently remind children, their families, and staff about the importance of staying home when ill; early treatment for people at higher risk for flu complications; hand hygiene; and respiratory etiquette. Educational materials (for example, posters) to enhance compliance with recommendations should be visible in the child care setting. Examples of these materials are available at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/flyers.htm.

Stay home when sick: Children and caregivers with flu-like illness should remain at home and away from others until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F [37.8° C] or greater when measured orally), or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications. To the extent possible, sick individuals should stay at home and avoid contact with others until they have been without fever for 24 hours, except when necessary to seek medical care.

Conduct daily health checks: Early childhood providers conducting daily health checks should observe all children and staff and talk with each child’s parent or guardian and each child. He or she should look for changes in the child’s behavior, a report of illness or recent visit to a health care provider, and any signs or symptoms of illness. During the day, staff also should identify children and other staff who may be ill. Ill children and staff should be further screened by taking their temperature and inquiring about symptoms. An example of how to perform daily health checks can be found at: http://www.bmcc.edu/Headstart/Trngds/Diseases/pg91-108.htm.

Separate ill children and staff: Children and staff who develop symptoms of flu-like illness while at the early childhood program should promptly be separated from others until they can be sent home. While this may be challenging for some home-based providers, they should provide a space where the child can be comfortable and supervised at all times.

Encourage hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette of both people who are well and those who have any symptoms of flu: Wash hands frequently with soap and water when possible; keep hands away from your nose, mouth, and eyes; and cover noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available). For children with emerging self-care skills, parents and caregivers should closely monitor their respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene and remind children not to share cups or eating utensils. Visit: www.cdc.gov/cleanhands for more information on hand hygiene and http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm for more information on respiratory etiquette.

Perform routine environmental cleaning: Areas and items that are visibly soiled should be cleaned immediately, and all areas should be regularly cleaned – with a particular focus on items that are more likely to have frequent contact with the hands, mouths, and bodily fluids of young children (for example, toys and play areas).

Consider selective early childhood program closures: If flu transmission is high, some communities or early childhood programs may consider temporary closures with the goal of decreasing the spread of flu among children less than 5 years of age. The decision to selectively close should be made locally in partnership with public health officials and should balance the risks of keeping the children in early childhood programs with the social and economic disruption that can result from closing these programs.

Excerpts are from an article at www.flu.gov. To read the full article: http://www.flu.gov/professional/school/childguidance.html

CDA Starts This Week!

Last chance to sign up for UCM Workshop on Wheels CCR&R's Child Development Associate (CDA) class for 2009-2010! Classes start Thursday, August 27 and will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. in the James C. Kirkpatrick Library on UCM's campus.

Up to nine hours of college credit is available with the class, or you may take it for clock hours only. Our CDA class provides all the clock hours you'll need to earn your CDA plus assistance to complete your Resource File, Autobiography, and Competency Statements. One of our staff members will even come visit your classroom to give you helpful feedback on how to make your final CDA Observation successful.

For more information, contact Jacki Turner at jturner@ucmo.edu or 660-543-8321 or 800-666-1461.